July 6, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Carol Stroebel
(540) 436-3953
cstroebel@igc.org

NATIONAL CHILDREN'S ORGANIZATION APPOINTS NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Washington, D.C. - The Children's Environmental Health Network (CEHN), a national environmental health organization, appointed Nsedu Obot Witherspoon, MPH, as their new Executive Director on July 5, 2005. A multi-disciplinary organization founded in 1990, the Network's mission is to protect the fetus and the child from environmental health hazards and to promote a healthy environment through outreach, education and advocacy.

Ms. Witherspoon joined the Network in 2000 as their Community Outreach Specialist. In 2001, she was appointed Assistant Director. "Nse is a leader in the field of children's environmental health," said Lynn Goldman, CEHN Board Chair and Professor of Environmental Health Sciences at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. "Since 2004, Nse filled the Interim Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer positions with great poise and professionalism. Her exceptional performance and dedication earned her promotion to Executive Director of the Network."

Ms. Witherspoon has served as Chair of the Environment Section of the American Public Health Association since 2003, and has therefore played a significant role in shaping the programs and agendas of a number of children's environmental health initiatives. She also serves in leadership positions within several professional health organizations including: the Environment Committee for the D.C. Asthma Coalition, Chair since 2001; Environment and Occupational Health Committee for the D.C. Department of Health's D.C. Asthma Collaborative, Co-Chair since 2003; and the Environmental Health Project Advisory Committee for the Society for Public Health Education. Ms. Witherspoon was selected as a 2003 Fellow for the Environmental Health Leadership Program. Ms. Witherspoon holds a Masters of Public Health (MPH) in Maternal and Child Health from The George Washington University School of Public Health.

The Children's Environmental Health Network is focusing on two initiatives in 2005: 1) "Child Safe Chemicals" campaign, which focuses on making chemicals in the environment safe for children; and 2) the Pediatric Environmental Health Educational Program, to train pediatric professionals about children's unique susceptibilities and exposures to environmental chemicals. In addition, the Network will continue to promote research on environmental health and children, such as the proposed National Children's Study, the Centers of Excellence for Children's Environmental Health and federal research grant programs.

"Due to Ms. Witherspoon's skilled leadership, the Network continues to be a national voice for children's health and the environment," said Dick J. Batchelor, Vice-Chair and Treasurer of CEHN and President of the Dick Batchelor Management Group. "As Executive Director, Ms. Witherspoon will continue her outreach to health professionals serving various communities, as well as her training, awareness, and education efforts to help advance the Network's mission."

For further information on the Network, visit their website at www.cehn.org.

# # #